Cong Co Ceremony, a cultural feature of ancient Vietnamese weddings

The Cong Co ceremony, also known as the Gia Tien ceremony, is one of the important ceremonies that cannot be missed in Vietnamese wedding ceremonies. The ceremony is considered the bride and groom's introduction to their ancestors. Therefore, the bride and groom need to pay attention to carefully researching and preparing for the Cong Co ceremony.

The Cong Co ceremony (or Gia Tien ceremony) is the introduction ceremony of the bride and groom before the ancestral altar of both families to show respect to their lineage, as well as to report to their ancestors about the great joy of accepting a new member into the family.

Southern ancestral altar in Cong Co's wedding ceremony. Photo: Internet.

The place where the ceremony is held is in both the bride's and groom's house. Specifically, in the engagement ceremony, the ceremony is held at the bride's house. In the wedding ceremony, this ceremony is held at both families.

Traditionally, the time to hold the Cong Co ceremony is during both the engagement and wedding ceremonies. During these two ceremonies, the ancestral incense offering ceremony usually takes place last, after the two families have talked and performed other rituals.

During the engagement ceremony, the Cong Co ceremony is held at the bride’s house. During the wedding ceremony, this ceremony is held at both families’ houses. This is done to pay tribute to the family and report to the ancestors about the great joy of accepting a new member into the family; at the same time, it shows the bride and groom’s gratitude for their parents’ upbringing when they have grown up and left the family to build their own home.

Regarding the engagement gifts, the bride's family will take a portion of the engagement gift including betel and areca nuts and a tray of five fruits that the groom's family brings to burn incense on the family altar. In the South, in addition to the engagement gift, the groom's family will prepare a pair of candles (large pair of candles) engraved with dragons and phoenixes to burn on the bride's family altar. According to the modern lifestyle, the engagement gift is gradually simplified, but families still choose important rituals to preserve traditional cultural values.

Dr. Tran Doan Lam, a member of the Vietnamese Village Communal House Club, shared: The ceremony was very detailed, recreating many ancient rituals, omitting some cumbersome procedures that are not suitable for modern lifestyles. Attending the Cong Co ceremony, I saw that everyone had chosen the best rituals and customs, recreating a traditional wedding ceremony. This made me feel like I was reliving a past that was not too feudal, not too distant, mixed with modern elements.

The engagement gift is part of the betrothal gift including betel and areca nuts and a tray of five fruits. Photo: Internet.

With good meanings, many families in the Southwest have organized weddings for their children and grandchildren according to ancient traditions and customs. At the wedding of bride Lam Tuong Van and groom Ngo Minh Nhan, Phu Tho Vien commune, Tan An district, Long An province, the Cong Co ceremony was carefully prepared with the cooperation of both families.

Mr. Lam Minh Tri, a resident of Ho Chi Minh City, organized a wedding for his daughter Lam Tuong Van, following ancient traditional customs. He shared: I love traditional culture. Having only one daughter, I want to organize a wedding ceremony imbued with traditional culture. I do not hesitate to invite people from all over the country to join hands in organizing such a ceremony full of national identity.

After the introduction of the bride's parents, including grandparents, aunts and uncles... The bride Lam Tuong Van, introduced herself to everyone and together with her parents lit incense to commemorate her ancestors. Next was the tea offering ceremony, the bride's parents sat on chairs, the bride Lam Tuong Van knelt down beside them and slowly poured a cup of tea to invite her parents as if to deeply remember the kindness of giving birth and raising her. Next, the bride offered tea to her grandparents, aunts and uncles in the family as if to express gratitude for the help and love everyone has always given her.

The bride and groom introduce themselves to everyone and light incense with their parents to commemorate their ancestors. Photo: Internet.

Mr. Lam Minh Tri said that each region has different cultural characteristics, so to recreate this important traditional ritual according to the culture of the Southwest, the family spent a lot of time researching and implementing: National traditions and family traditions must be linked together. Family traditions are different for each family, traditions left by our grandparents are often regional in nature, so we need to learn carefully before implementing. From costumes, ways of speaking, to decoration, betel and areca nuts, tea, wine, how to offer tea, how to drink tea, drink wine... to properly express the long-standing cultural customs of our ancestors.

The main characters of the ceremony, the bride and groom, were very happy to have had a special wedding with the Cong Co ceremony and traditional costumes of the nation.

To be able to do so, it is also thanks to the agreement and contribution of both families. "When we decided to get married, we thought a lot. How to have a wedding, what to prepare and how to prepare best. We do not want a grand wedding but just want a beautiful memory that is deeply imprinted in each person so that when we think about it, it will be a beautiful memory. With the suggestion of our parents, we decided to use a completely five-panel ao dai in the wedding, the ao dai is quite comfortable, easy to move in and also very beautiful."

The wedding ceremony of Vietnamese people in the Southwest region has a special feature that is hard to find in other regions. With the cooperation of the community and those who love the cultural traditions of the nation like Mr. Lam Minh Tri's family, along with the contribution of the community, the Cong Co Ceremony and other beautiful Vietnamese cultural features will continue to be preserved and promoted./.

Yanjiang